Over These Years
by Jane Glass
Summary: It's Halloween and Albedo gets a chance to change his hurt filled life. Does he take the chance?


**Over These Years**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10. Please note that all characters other than Albedo and Jimmy are mine.**

**A.N.: This is a short one-shot. Please read and review.**

**Rated: K+ **

**Warning(s): ...**

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Albedo looked like he was thirteen, and over the years, he felt like it too. He was sat on the corner of the street, staring at people who stared at him with sympathetic eyes. They didn't know him. No one knew him anymore, not even himself. He was a thirteen-year-old kid with no familiar name or face.

He may be Albedo still, but he doesn't see himself anymore. He used to think of his Galvan life whenever the name was mention, but now all he saw was the white haired, red eyed stranger who he only saw in puddles. When he slept, if he slept, he only had fuzzy dreams of these streets, of the meaner kids out here, and, strangely, of what could have been.

He only dimly remembered his past. Tears escaped from his red eyes as he thought of Azmuth. He remembered only certain things about him. One thing he remembered clearly is that he always looked up to Azmuth like Azmuth was a father of sorts, but he had never said as much to anyone.

His secrets would die with him. Could he even die, though? His head hurt too much to ponder over this, so he sighed before putting his head in his hands. "Hey, Mousy, you look sick!" A boy about sixteen who went by the name Smasher calls out from his red and yellow old looking car.

"Hey, Smasher, he always looks that way!" Greg, another boy, shouts from the passenger seat before he and Smasher both burst out in laughter. By now Albedo was used to it, and to be honest, he didn't care.

"Theodore Thomas and Gregory Webber, would you both go home already? I think your mommies are calling you both." Another person speaks up, this person had a whiny voice, but it was also rough sounding…scratchy.

Smasher drove off immediately and it shocked Albedo so much that he looked to the nearby boy who made them leave. He was older than Albedo currently (physically) was. His hair was red-brown, his eyes were an almond color, he had freckles and was dressed in…he was dressed in Ben's outfit.

He must be tougher than he looks to run those boys off though. "You okay?" He asks, walking over and offering a hand to Albedo. _Maybe they ran because they were outnumbered_, Albedo thought, noticing that this kid had two kids behind him. One was a girl with blond hair…she was dressed like Gwen. The other a boy with brown hair dressed like…Kevin?

Maybe they ran because the kids looked familiar…none of those reasons made sense though. "I'm fine…you guys look…." Albedo begins unsurely. "Like Ben, Gwen and Kevin?" The boy with the almond eyes asks excitedly. "Yeah…." Albedo mumbled.

"Thanks, you look…kind of like Albedo." The boy says with a nod. "Yeah, nice Halloween costume! How'd you get your hair white?" The boy dressed as Kevin asks. "Uh…" Albedo looks away, unsure of what these kids were going on about. "Never mind, we'll be late for trick-or-treating! Come on, you can join us!" The girl says with a sweet smile.

"Yeah, my name is Jimmy Jones, by the way. That's Michael and this is Andrea." The almond eyed boy says. "What's your name?" Michael asks with a raised eyebrow as they all start walking, Albedo sheepishly following. "Um…I'm Alan." Albedo says quickly, cursing himself for not being more creative. "Wow, that starts with 'a' and 'l' too!" Andrea says with another smile.

Jimmy gave "Alan" a weird look…like he knew something. "Uh, guys, come on!" Michael says, sounding annoyed at the slow pace they were moving. "Yeah," Jimmy mumbles before walking more quickly. Maybe it was a good thing that Albedo got this chance to start over…he would dye his hair later and wear contacts and act like someone different.

He would create his own back story, and act nicer and be happier. He hoped that Jimmy didn't know anything, though he acted like he did. "Alan" just wanted Albedo to disappear and never be heard from or about ever again. Albedo would be no more, because over these years, "Alan" realized that that's what needs to be done.

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